Meet Jacob van Dijk: Wilderness Medicine, Anesthesiology, and Care Beyond the Clinic
For Jacob van Dijk, wilderness medicine grew naturally from two long-standing interests: medicine and the outdoors. When he discovered a field that brought them together, he knew he had found the right fit.
Today, Jacob is a military anesthesiologist in training and a MedTreks wilderness medicine instructor. His credentials include Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine (FAWM), Diploma in Diving and Marine Medicine (DiDMM), and Diploma in Mountain Medicine (DiMM). He brings nine years of professional experience and eight years of teaching experience to MedTreks courses.
Jacob van Dijk at a glance
- Current role: Military anesthesiologist in training and MedTreks wilderness medicine instructor
- Credentials: drs., FAWM, DiDMM, DiMM
- Areas of focus: Wilderness and travel medicine, with particular interests in altitude and diving medicine
- Professional experience: Nine years
- Teaching experience: Eight years
- Field experience: The Netherlands, the United States, Canada, Antarctica, Denmark, Bhutan, Nepal, and maritime environments across multiple seas and oceans
How Jacob van Dijk approaches remote medicine
Jacob is especially interested in the clinical thinking required when a well-equipped hospital or clinic is no longer within reach. His field experience spans a wide range of countries and environments, from Bhutan and Nepal to Antarctica and the open water.
Among the topics he most enjoys teaching are altitude and diving medicine. Both require clinicians to understand how the surrounding environment affects a patient and to make thoughtful decisions with the resources available.
If there is one skill Jacob believes every clinician should feel more confident using outside the hospital, it is assessing a patient without relying on extensive equipment. In remote settings, a careful patient assessment becomes even more important when familiar tools and tests are unavailable.
Teaching that adapts to the group
Jacob values the ability to improvise in a MedTreks setting and learn from the diverse stories participants bring with them. Their questions and experiences can turn a lesson into a broader conversation about practicing medicine in different specialties, cultures, and environments.
His advice for someone joining a MedTreks trip or course for the first time is simple: “Immerse yourself in the CME and the trip.”
Mountains, aviation, and life outside medicine
Climbing Kilimanjaro in 2009 was one of the outdoor experiences that shaped Jacob. His connection to demanding environments also extends into the air: in addition to his medical career, he has a military career as a pilot.
His favorite way to reset outside is to do something active, ideally enough to work up a sweat. He also makes plenty of room for snacks, and dried mango is his trail favorite.
At MedTreks, Jacob van Dijk brings together clinical training, wilderness medicine, international field experience, and military aviation.
Learn with MedTreks faculty
MedTreks designs active, well-supported travel experiences for medical professionals and their loved ones, with optional CME woven into many trips. Explore our International Wilderness Life Support certification and meet the rest of the MedTreks team.
